Railway-switch.



- PATENTED APR. 4,1905;

-G. W; DUKE.

RAILWAY SWITCH. AYPPLIOATIONEILE'D DBO. 20. 1904.

\ kmfoc akkozmq Patented April 4;, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. DUKE, or POWDER SPRINGS, GEORGIA.

RAILWAY- WITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters-Patent No. 786,739, dated April 4, 1905. v Application filed December 20,1904. smart/237,693.

, citizen of the United States, residing at Powder Springs, in the county of (Jobb'and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Im provements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway-switches of that kind employing two movable switchpoints at the junction of two sections or the main and branch or siding tracks of a railway, the objectof the invention being to provide a switch which, while normally closing one of the branches of the road to travel, may be antomatically opened by the wheel-flange of a locomotive or'car to permit'a locomotive, car,

or train to pass from said normally closed branch to the main portion of the trackand whichalso may be actuated by hand to permit a locomotive, car, or train to pass from the main portion ofthe trackto the normally closed portion and which also upon the passage of the car, locomotive, or train in either case will be automatically restored to normal Another object of the invention is to provide a switch device of this character which may be automatically opened for travel from the normally closed to the main portion of the track without affecting the means for manually operating said switch device and which is simple of construction, efiicient in use, and not liable to get out of order.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of the features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure leis a top plan view showing the switch arranged at the junction of track-sections, the switch appearing in its normal position. Fig. 2.is a section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a detail plan .view of a portion of one of the rails of the closed section of the track and adjacent switch-point, the said track and switch-point being partly broken away to show the guide-bolt and switch-retracting spring. 4 is a detail view of the manual tl'irow-lever and associated parts, the latter being shown disconnected and in position for assemblage.

' Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the letters A,B, and C represent portions, sections, or branches of a railway, and A and A, B and B and C and C the rails of such portions or sections. The section A may represent the main portion of the railway or loading-point. In the present illustration the switch mechanism is designed to normally close communication between the sections A and G in one direction of travel and to be antomatically operated to permit travel in the other or opposite directionthat is to say, the switch mechanism will be arranged to normally permit travel between the branches or portions A and B and to permit travel between the branches or portions A and C only under certain conditions.

The switch mechanism comprises two pivoted switch-points l and 2, cooperating, respectively, with the rails B and C and adapted to be shifted into and out of engagement with the rails A A of the section A. These switch-points are stayed and connected for simultaneous movement by sectional connecting-rods 3, the inner ends of the sections of which are threaded for the reception of a turnbuckle 4, by which they may be adjusted to compensate for expansion and contraction and to suit variations in the positions of the points 1 and 2. The outer ends of the sectional rods 3 are pivoted or otherwise loosely or movably connected with the switch-points 1 and 2 to have slight independent play or movement to permit said points to swing freely when moved in one direction or the other. The switchpoint 2 is provided with a laterally-projecting rail 0 and normally forms a tread for the passage of a wheel of a locomotive or car from the track A to the track B, as will be readily observed by reference to Fig. 1. The rear or heel portion of this flange or frog-wing is provided with a beveled terminal 6, which projects inwardly from the rail 0 and forms an intervening space or opening to admit between the same and said rail 0 the flange of a wheel of a car or locomotive passing from the closed track portion C to the track portion A. The flange of a wheel on coming in contact with the beveled portion 6 engages the same and exerts pressure thereon to swing the frog-wing 5 away from the rail A, thus shifting the switch-point 2, which transfers movement to the switch-point 1 through the connecting-rods 3. The switch-points are normally held in the position shown in Fig. 1 by guiding and retracting means comprising a guide-bolt 7,extending loosely through openings in the web of the rail A and the frogwing 5 and provided at its outer end with a head 8, which abuts against the outer side of the eb of the rail A and limits the inward movement of said bolt. The inner end of the bolt projects beyond the inner side of the frog-wing or flange 5 and carries a nut 9 and a retracting-spring 1(),the latter encompassing the bolt between said nut and frog-wing and exerting pressure on said wing to normally force it against the rail A, the tension or acting pressure of said spring being regulable.

through the medium of the adjusting-nut 9. The opening in the web of the rail A, through which the outer end of the bolt 7 passes, is slightly flared on its inner side, as indicated at 11 in 3, so as to permit the bolt 7 to swing to the required degree to adjust itself to the movement of the switch'point 2 and permit shifting of the latter with a minimum of resistance. By the action of the spring 10 the free end of the switch-point 2 and the frogwing 5 are held against the inner side of rail A, while the frog 5 is held out of contact with the rail A, thus closing entry from the track portion A to the track portion C,while permitting travel between the portions A and B.

A transverse throw-bar 12 is mounted for sliding movement below the rails A A and is provided with hooked portions or projections 13, which engage the points of the switch members 1 and 2 to shift the same in one direction or the other when the said bar is actuated. The bar 12 extends beyond the rails at one side of the trackway and is suitably pivoted to one end of a link 13, the opposite end of which is provided with a ball or spherical head 13, fitting within a socket 13 upon one end of a connecting-rod 1 1, the opposite end of which is provided with a similar socket 14 to receive a head 15 upon an arm 16, extending at right angles from a manual throwlever 17. The sockets 13 and 14- upon the ends of the rod let may be of any preferred construction, but are here shown as eonsisting of plates arranged upon opposite sides of said rod and provided with cupped portions forming the parts of the socket, the said plates being secured to the rod by rivets or other fastenings 18. The rod 1a extends normally in parallel relation to the throw lever 17, which is arranged at right angles to the trackway A and is provided at one end with a ball or weighted handle 19 and is bent at its opposite end to form a right-angular pivoting portion 20, which is suitably journaled in a switchstand 21. The link 13 extends parallel with the rails of the trackway A and forms a movable connection between the bar 12 and the throw-lever to permit said bar to have independent movement when the switch-points a re thrown by a locomotive or car passing from the track-section G to the traclvsection A, thus avoiding movement of the throw-lever 17 when the switch-points are automatically operated. The throw-lever 15 may, however, be swung on its pivot away from said tracksections, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, to swing the link' 13:) and thereupon draw upon and slide the bar 12 to shift the point I.

into engagement with the rail A and the point 2 out of engagement with the rail A, thus opening up the tracl'-section (I to travel from the main track portion A and simultaneously closing communication between the track portions A and B. When the lever 13 is thus thrown and passes beyond center, the bar 12 will be locked to hold the switch-points in the described position until manually restored to its normal position, (shown in Fig. 2;) but of course any desired locking mechanism may be employed to hold said switch-lever in thrown position to hold the track portion C open to travel from. the track portion A any desired period of time and to avoid any liability of the switch-points being accidentally moved out of shifted position.

It will thus be seen that the switch-points 1 and 2 will normally close the section C of the track from the passage of a car or locomotive thereto from the tracksection A, while permitting a car or locomotive to have free travel between the track-sections A and B, but that a car or locomotivestanding on the track-section C may pass therefrom to the track-section A, as the forward wheel of the car or locomotive will engage the beveled portion 6 of the switch-point 2 and shift the switch to connect the rails A (1 and A C; also, that by manually throwing the lever 15 the switchpoints may be shifted to permit a car or locomotive to pass directly from the track-section A to the track-section U. hen the switchpoints are moved in one direction or the other, the guide-bolt T swings to accommodate the same to permit easy movement thereof, and then upon release of the switch-prnnts the spring 10 returns the same to their normal position.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and mode of operation of the invention will be understood without a further extended description. Changes in the form, proportions, and minor details of construction may be made within thescope of the invention without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesthereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is a 1. A switch mechanism for railways comprising two swinging switohpoints, one of said switch-points having an integral flange or frog-wing projecting laterally therefrom and adapted to be engaged by the wheel of a car or locomotive moving in one direction for automatically shifting said switch-points, means connecting the switch-points for simultaneous movement, and spring-retracting means for restoring the switch-points to a determined normal position.

2. A switch mechanism for railways comprising two switch-points, one of said switchpoints being provided with an integral laterally-projecting flange or frog-Wing having a heel portion adapted to be engaged by the wheel of a locomotive or car traveling in one direction to shift said switch-points, means for connecting the switch-points for simultaneous movement, and spring-retracting means for restoring the'switch-point to a determined normal position.

3. A switch mechanism for railways comprising two swinging switchpoints having a wheelengaging flange or frog-wlng, means for connecting said switchpoints for simultaneous movement, a guide-bolt connecting the flanged portion of the aforesaid switchpoint with a rail, and a spring coacting with said guide-bolt to restore the switch-points to 1 switch-point and movably connected to an adjacent rail, and a spring coacting with said switch-point to restore the switch points to, a determined normal position.

5. In a switch mechanism for railways, a swinging switch-point having a laterally-projecting frog-wing formed with a beveled or inclined heel portion to be engaged by the wheel-flange of a car or locomotive.

6. A switch mechanism for railways comprising two pivoted switch-points, said switchpoints being connected for simultaneous movement, one of said switch-points being adapted to be automatically shifted by thewheel of a car or locomotive traveling in one direction, spring means for returning the switch-points to adetermined normal position, a shifting-bar connected to theswitclrpoints, and a throwlever having a slip-joint connection with said bar.

In testimony whereof I afiiX-my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. DUKE. Witnesses:

THOS. LINDLEY, JOHN E. MOKENNEY. 

